deaf
Americanadjective
-
partially or wholly lacking or deprived of the sense of hearing; unable to hear.
-
refusing to listen, heed, or be persuaded; unreasonable or unyielding.
deaf to all advice.
-
Deaf, of or relating to the Deaf or their cultural community.
Deaf customs and values.
noun
-
Deaf persons collectively (usually preceded bythe ).
social services for the Deaf.
-
Usually the Deaf Deaf persons who identify themselves as members of a community composed of Deaf persons and others who share in their culture.
adjective
-
-
partially or totally unable to hear
-
( as collective noun ; preceded by the ) See also tone-deaf
the deaf
-
-
refusing to heed
deaf to the cries of the hungry
Pronunciation
Deaf is usually pronounced , with the vowel of left. In uneducated speech the dialectal pronunciation , to rhyme with leaf, is still heard occasionally, but it is increasingly rare.
Other Word Forms
- deafly adverb
- deafness noun
- half-deaf adjective
- nondeaf adjective
- nondeafly adverb
- nondeafness noun
- quasi-deaf adjective
- quasi-deafly adverb
- semideaf adjective
- semideafness noun
- undeaf adjective
Etymology
Origin of deaf
First recorded before 900; Middle English deef, Old English dēaf; cognate with Middle Low German dōf, Dutch doof, Old High German toub
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
That setback added to rancorous divisions among member states over the deal's impact on European farmers, who remained deaf to the EU's arguments and staged months of tractor-mounted protests against the accord.
From Barron's
But after spending less than £30m on four players last summer, it is clear his pleas have fallen on deaf ears.
From BBC
Aunt Kitty could handle an argument, but the second a tinge of fussiness colored my voice, she went deaf.
From Literature
Planes "may have flown 'deaf' for a short while... but under no circumstances was there a flight safety problem," he said, with pilots still having their radar.
From Barron's
Kraft Heinz’s sales employees were frustrated too, believing their suggestions had fallen on deaf ears.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
